My views do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.
‘Why Prague?’ My aunt Wendy asked me. She hadn’t heard of it and didn’t know where it was. When I went to Europe indefinitely after the Art Institute and before I joined Princess, I had my list of places I’d wanted to go (which was mostly cities that my mom thought I’d like) and in the last spot was Amsterdam or Prague. I chose Amsterdam because I looked on the map and it was closer to the other places I was going. I went back to the US and Prague was moved to the top of the list of places I wanted to go that I hadn’t been before. On the Golden Princess I met Erich who had studied abroad in Prague and he wrote out his list of recommendations on a yellow pad I was carrying around.
In 2020, I bought my ticket to London (with intentions to stop there on my way to Prague) and then the world shut down. During the pandemic my favorite travel blogger, AdventurousKate, moved to Prague. What is there to do in Prague? I don’t know, but it’s an old city and I wanted to go there. I did some research and booked a scenic river cruise, a touristy Medieval dinner with belly dancers and jugglers and acquired a map from a friend of a friend who used to live in Prague. Most of the guides I read said that you can do Prague in three days. I have eight. So I want to see all the touristy stuff and see if I can live like a local.
I was going to stay in the hostel that Erich recommended, but then an add for an apartment half a mile from the center popped up and I decided to splurge on a place all to myself.
It was cold and rainy when I arrived. I love the cobblestone streets and the beautiful tall buildings.
My apartment is four flights up these winding stairs:
It’s all the space I need (especially since I’m used to living on a ship) and it has a balcomy!
I was tired and hungry when I arrived, and I didn’t know what I wanted to eat. I decided to go to the nearby grocery store to see what I could find. I didn’t understand most of the words on the packaging or the prices.
It turns out all of this was about $36! That would have been the cost of the wine alone in the US! Plus this will last me about four meals! I turned on some Czech Netflix and settled in for the night.
The next morning was grey and beautiful. I opted out of trying to make sense of the maps and preparations I had made. I walked out the door and walked around.
This city is absolutely stunning. I was smitten. And then I realized I needed the bathroom. I pulled out my phone and one of the points of interest I could remember– the Astronomical Clock was only about 8 minutes away. Right next to the clock was a tourist information spot with a bathroom. I was set for another couple of hours.
This clock not only tells the time, it also tells you what constellations you’ll see in the sky and the phase of the moon. They were able to figure out how to put all of this in a mechanical clock in the 1400’s.
I had a beer right on the street because I could (and everyone else was doing it) and wandered around some more.
I found the Charles Bridge
And then I went around the block to figure out how to cross it.
I remembered that the Lennon Wall was nearby, so I had google maps guide me there.
There are poems of protest for the people of Ukraine
I found beautiful outlets of the river that made me think of Venice
Everywhere I looked there were beautiful buildings and little nooks with priceless snapshots.
My legs were starting to get sore so I wandered back to my apartment for a little rest before my walking food tour that evening. I’d walked 8 miles without even noticing! I think that’s more than I’ve walked during my whole vacation!